The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-18
stances-that is the way in which we proved
extravagance-by specific instances AS to bad
food the committee saws:

opinion of some of the witnesses bad rice canned
fruit prunes, ETC., had been furnished occasionally,
and that strong butter had been furnished at times
and. also that, upon occasion butter with skip
pers in it got into wards l, and of the female de-
.partment in 1886 but had been discovered before
the patients had eaten any Of it, and not used
There several persons who testified that strong
butter had been furnished the institution, but
especially during the summer months. 1t was, how
ever generally given the opinion of such persons
when asked upon the subject that such occurrences
considering the amount of butter used by the instu
fton and the chaugeable character of such com
modify. was nc more frequent than would occur IN
iany well-regulated hotel or family in the country.
That extract is the gem of the whole report.
and so we have given it entire. welregulated
family sitting down TO breakfast on butter with
worms IN it! 1t would be bad enough il the
butter in question had been simply skippery,
but it more than that DR.. Fletcher, DR..
Stockton, Mr. Roth. and several of the attend
ants called them by their right names. They
were maggots, worms, and DR.. Fletcher swore
that he found about dozen to the two pounds
OF butter which shown him on the ward.
Mrs. Dr. Stockton gave very graphic descrip-
tion of them Such butter as this was fur
nished to the hospital twice certainly, and prob
ably three times. On one occasion there was
600 pounds of it from Sullivan. and at another
time there was f. 900 pounds of it from Krause
A great deal is made of the fact that it was not
eaten. but removed from the tables as soon
as discovered. This is pitiful plea. 1t is in
evidence that one meal was made off of this
stuff in one of the wards, at the very
apolis Sentinel was denouncing the
civil service report as Campaign lies"
The butter had been received and accepted by'
the competent Mr. Hall, had been issued from
the storehouse, had gone through the kitchen.
and had got up to the wards where it was de-
tected and reported to Drs. Fletcher and Stock
ton, who ordered it off the tables. 1t is also In
evidence that Mr.. Roth showed butter contain
Ing maggota to DR.. Harrison, but DR.. Harrison
did not order it's rejection. Several hundred
pounds WEI e served out after he saw it. At one
time some maggoty butter was sent back, some
thrown into the sewer to avoid the inspection of
the civil service committee, and it is uncertain
what became of the rest of it.
DR. Fletcher testifes that the butter furnished
the hospital during his administration was al
most uniformly of an inferior grade-second or
third grade; that they got the sort Of but
ter whether they paid 10 or 90 cents a pound
that there always was great trouble with the
butter, and that one lot was so sour that, as it
had to be kept, he tried to improve it by treat
ment of lime water Mr. Roths testimony Is
much to the same effect. He says that DR..
Fletcher once said to him: ''If we have to keep
this butter can't you dislnfect itl' The evidence
on this point is full and convincing. Besides
this, the ward reports show that for two whole
months the butter was bad The members of
the Senate committee have been unfortunate In
their experience with butter.
1t was proved conclusivey that the dried fruit
sent to the hospital was very frequently bad;
that the peaches and pruues were old and with
cred, and the currants wormy. We suppose,
however, that these are quite common occur
FENCES in we'll regulated families
Then it shown that the flour was some
times musty and of inferior quality, and that
the feed for the horses was frequently very bad
indeed, especially the corn which was bought
by DR.. Harrison. These things were proved
and they not to be brushed aside SO easily.
Big talk about the superiority of this Demo
cratic machine over other institutions. whether
in this country or in Europe, will not do After
Dr. Fletcher has sworn positively to bad butter,
to wormy butter, to inferior goods of various
kinds, and to many other things that off
color, his general bill of health does not cover
the case. The superintendent says that he
finally quit protesting against the reception of
poor supplies, because he had to do it SO often
that he got tired, and, moreover, it did good
OF course the cholera hog charge is denied.
But it is in evidence that drove of hogs sold to
the hospital by Mr. Franklin LADDERS COM
menced dying rapidly soou after they re-
ceived DR.. Fletcher thinks the disease was
pleuro- pneumonia; Mr. English is of the opinion
that they must have been poisoned, but DR..
Navin, a veterinary surgeon, who was called to
see these same hogs, swears that il was cholera
And it i5 clearly proved that hogs were fire.
quently killed in the pen where other
Representatives many fve-were lying
dead, having died of disease. This is all that
was charged. and it seems to US that it is bad
enough.
The evidence shows that the complaints of
cruelty were numerous. and that the thing had
grown to be such evil that the superintendent
felt obliged to discharge any attendant who was
even suspected of cruelty. Several very gross
cases were rehearsed in the unwilling ears OF
! the committee.
The facts in regard to the mysterious disap
pearance of Mrs. Dallas and the escape of Capt.
Knorr are admitted, surprising as it may seem.
The committee think that the hospital fence is
not high enough. We are inclined to think that
if it were high enough to protect the superin-
tendent against the array of political bummers
who are crowdng upon him for places all the
vUh la hn hi hat lot of ant
and So less cruelty and fewer escapes
With DR.. Harrisons moral character we have
nothing to do If he were 'as chaste as ice anG
as pure as snow" he would still be notoriously
unfit person for the position he holds.
The committee is of the opinion that the hos
ptal has been we'll mauaged-and it has been
60 far the board of trustees has had nothing
to do with it-that the trustees have been faith
full, and that there has been corruption. TIL,
committee is entitled to its opinion. We beg t,
submit the following facts as proved:
First-That Mr. Gapen had attended but on
board meeting from Nov. 10, 1885, to Oct 80
1856, and that during all that time he drew hi
salary with great re guarity. it frequently being
sent to him in Arkansas. and that he, on one oc
casion, requested DR.. Fletcher to violate the Law
by advancing his salary to him out of tile con
tinCent fund.
Second--That Mr.. Gapen got the $64 77-th.
Mellen rebate-which he has never satisfactorily
accounted for.
Third-That goods were often purchased
without advertising for bids, and that inferio
articles were very frequently received and kept
over DR. FIetchers protest and after he hat
ordered them returned Co the dealer.
Fourth-That Mr. Gapen and Dr. Harrison
ordered the reception of goods not up to sample
Fifth-That j. S. Hall, the storekeeper, is in
competent
SIxth-That the board, in the absence of tn
superintendent, discharged four good carpenter
who boarded themselves on So. 90 per day, an
hired in their places men sent from Boone an
jackson counties, by Harrison and Burrell, a
s. 80 Per day and board. The new men wer
much inferior to the old ones
Seventh-That members of the board at man,
different times were guilty of unwarrantable in
reference in the internal management of tn
hospital. to the great detriment of the institu
ton. This is shown by the reports of the su
perintendent, and DR.. Fletcher testifes to tn